Is being beautiful a curse in the workplace?

Being beautiful can help on dating scene, but could it be an issue at work?

A new study claims attractive women are actually hindered by their looks at work.

The research, published in US journal Sex Roles, argues that beautiful women are seen as less honest and trustworthy and are more likely to be sacked.

The study says female colleagues still consider gorgeous women a threat. And men would rather hit on them than hire them.

So is being beautiful really an asset or just a pain in the neck?

Bella Battle has spoken to three women who insist their good looks are a curse.

University graduate and pageant princess Aimi Stanley says being gorgeous held her back so much that she left her job as an IT recruitment consultant.

Single Aimi, from Higham, Kent, who claims she lost out on promotions and commission, says: "I was always taught that taking pride in your appearance makes you feel good and achieve more. How wrong I was. After graduating near the top of my class, I was headhunted to work for a recruitment firm.

"At my interview they commented that my looks would really help to close deals with male clients, but I ignored it. I was among the top ten to be hired out of thousands, and from day one I made sure I looked good.

"I wore full make-up, nice clothes and designer shoes. I made sure I had my acrylic nails done every two weeks and I had a tan every three weeks as well as regular eyelash extensions. I also put in extra hours each day at the office.

"If my manager asked for something to be done in two days, I did it in one. I would have a list of leads ready to go every morning while many of my colleagues had none.

"However, I soon realised something was wrong. My male colleagues kept asking me to sit in on their meetings with new clients.

"When they won a contract, they got the commission, not me – even though I often did most of the sales pitch.

"Male colleagues who got hired at the same time as me were getting promoted and had achieved only half of what I had.

"Soon I realised I was just seen as the token “pretty girl”. I was hired to be eye candy for potential male clients.

"They treated me like a bimbo. When it was time to close a deal I had made, my manager would do it and take my commission, saying I wasn’t experienced enough to do it.

"I soon felt devalued and miserable. After 12 months I couldn’t cope any more. I left to travel and am now pursuing a job in jewellery sales.

"It’s deeply distressing that in 2019 people still think beautiful equals stupid. It makes me feel sick that pretty women are held back so less attractive people can use them to close a deal."

Russian Irina Kova worked in business development for high net-worth individuals. Irina, who lives in Kensington, West London, believes that being attractive has ruined her career.

She says: "Even during the hiring process, being beautiful gets in the way. I have a law degree and a great CV but my recruitment agent still told me to dye my blonde hair dark for interviews.

"She said, ‘You’ll never get a job looking like that’. She was right, too. After I coloured my hair I got offered more work. I even started wearing clear glasses – although my sight is perfect – to look more professional.

"I’ve been made to feel terrible in offices. One boss told me I should stop standing out so much and learn to be more humble with my looks. I wasn’t even wearing high heels.

"I rarely wear much make-up either – with my features I don’t need to. When you have big lips and eyes you attract a lot of attention anyway.

"I think this man wanted to have a corporate environment where everyone is the same and has a mortgage and three kids.

"He was basically implying I was too glamorous to fit in, so I ended up leaving.

"Women don’t trust you and men don’t see you as a professional. Men never want to hire me. I get it – that’s because they don’t want to be distracted at work.

"They would rather surround themselves with less attractive women who won’t take their mind off the job in hand.

"Married guys don’t want their wives visiting the office and seeing a hot, single girl sitting right next to them.

"So now I’ve started my own website selling vintage clothing.

"At least now I don’t have to rely on someone else’s opinion of me???– and whether my face fits."

Model and fitness coach Pollyanna Hale lives with her husband and their two daughters, aged ten and six, in Bosham, West Sussex.

Pollyanna, who believes people assume her looks are the only thing she has going for her, says: "People still think that you can’t have brains and beauty – it’s just assumed that I’m thick. Before I even speak, strangers write me off. They think your looks are your strong point so you have no need to capitalise on anything else like brains or talent.

"I’ve been told the reason for my success is my looks, when actually I reckon it’s skill and hard work. Another thing that annoys me is when people imply I’m so good with clients because I’m attractive.

"I’m a really friendly person – I’ll talk to anyone anywhere – but then people go, ‘Oh, well of course – every guy wants to talk to a pretty girl’. I think, ‘Hang on a second, that’s not fair – I can hold a conversation too’.

"It’s like people are blinded by me being pretty, they just can’t see past it. It seems incredible to them that I might have other qualities.

"I once worked in a health spa where part of the job was to look presentable – and men would always just assume I was a pretty face without a brain in my head.

"If you’re beautiful, you’ll spend half your life trying to prove you’re more than just your face and body.
"A lot of people think that I’ve got life easy. And when I give people exercise or nutrition advice they just say, ‘Oh well, it’s alright for you to say that – look at you’.

"But actually I work damn hard to look like this. It’s really tiring trying to convince people that I don’t just wake up like this every day.

"I suppose if I was a bit more, shall we say, “normal” and carrying a bit of extra weight, people would relate to me more and think, ‘OK, she knows what it’s like not to be perfect all the time’.

"But because I come out well in photos, I have to make the point that I’m a highly trained expert on nutrition and fitness – not just some bimbo who fell into the job because she looks great naturally every minute of the day.

"It’s tough working for myself, but I think I would have struggled more in a corporate environment. I’m very confident in my abilities but I’m also aware of what other people will assume about me when I walk into a room.

"It’s frustrating that I always have to try?? that little bit harder to be taken seriously."